Banjo



(No Model.)

B. E. BGYDEN.

BANJO.

,x Patented Mar. 31. 1891.

6 iM/ V 0% o bands 9.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicEfJ BYRON F. BOYDEN, OF BRlDGEPORrl", CONNEIICUT.

SPECIFICATION forming` part of Letters Patent No. 449,200, dated March 3l, 1891.

Application iiled August 14, 1890. Serial No. 361,950. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatl, BYRON E. BOYDEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridge port, in the county ofy Fairlield and State of 5 Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Banjos; and l do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which :o it appertains to malte and use the same.

My invention has for its object to increase the richness and fullness of tone and to strengthen and prolong the tones of banjosw in other words, to modify the sharp staccato i5 quality of the tone, giving instead tones of greater volume and resonance, and to generally improve the details of construction.

With these ends in view l have devised the novel banjo oi' which the following dezo scription, in connection with the accompanyaway and the holding-ring shown in section;

Fig. 2, a section on the line cc 00in Fig. l,look ing toward the right, the, staff being removed 5 Fig. 3, a vertical longitudinal section of the head-block; Fig. at, a section of one of the 3o tubes having a clamping-lug, and Fig. 5 a

section of one of the ordinary tubes.

l denotes the staff, 4., the head, made, as usual, of sheep-skin or parchment, and 5 the usual wire about which the outer edge of the head is wrapped.

The head of my novel banjo is stretched over a holdingring by a tightening-ring G. The holdingring is provided with a downwardly-extending flange 3, and at its outer edge with a rounded bearing-surface 19, the

top of the ring inclining downward and inward from the bearing-surface, leaving a space 2O between the head and ring, aswill be more fully explained. The tighteningring is of just s ucient size to receive the holding-ring and head within it and to rest upon the wire, as is clearly shown in Fig. E2. The rim consists of a series of metallic tubes, (denoted by 7,) which are held together by These tubes are closed at the bottom, as shown in Figs. et and 5, and are provided on their inner sides with sound-openings lO. ln practice a portion of the tubesfor example, every third or fourth tube-are provided with lugs S, (see Fig. l,) the purpose of which will presently be explained. These tubes may either be vdrawn or cast. ln practice l have used for the ordinary tubes shells drawn from disks of sheet metal, and have cast the tubes provided with lugs, the lugs and tubes being cast intcgrahalthough these are mere details of construction and do not al'fect the principle oi my invention in the slightest. Any suitable bands maybe used to holdthe tubes in place, although in practice l preferably use wires and provide openings ll in the opposite vsides of the tubes, through which the wires are passed.

ln order to provide simple means for connecting the ends of the wires and holding the tubes closely and iirmly together in a circular arrangement, as shown, and at t-he same time to give a 'firm support for the statt, l use a head-block l2, which is cast in a single piece, the inner and outer sides being preferably formed in imitation of thetubes, so as to give a neat and uniform appearance to the exterior of the banjo. This head-block is provided witli a central opening 13, which receives the end of the staff, with longitudinal openings ll, which receive the ends of the wires, the latter being threaded, as shown, and with recesses l5 to receive nuts 1G, which engage the threaded ends of the wires, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3. It will be seen that by turning these nuts the ends of the wires may be drawn toward each other, which will hold the tubes closely in contact with each other and prevent the slightest movement in use.

rlhe head is tightened by means of hooked bolts 17, the hooked ends of which engage the tightening-ring and the threaded lower ends of which pass through openings in lugs S, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 'l. The bolts are drawn downward, which draws the tightening-ring downward and stretches the head over the holding-ring by simply tightening the nuts 1S on the hooked bolts. This is an important feature, as heretofore the tightening-lugs have been secured to wooden or lnetallic rims bybolts or screws passing through the rims. This I wholly avoid, which lessens the cost of production and greatly improves IOO the appearance of the instrument. In assembling, ange 3 upon the holding-ring 'passes within the upper ends of the tubes, the ring being provided with sound-openings 21, which register with the ltubes vand extend into space 2O under the head. (See Fig. 2.) When the wires which hold the tubes are tightenedv up, as already explained, it will be apparent' that the tubes are drawn inward against this ange, thus giving to the instrument ample strength to resist any possible strain that can be brought to bear upon it.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a banjo, a rim consisting of a series of metallic tubes heid together by suitable bands and provided with sound-openings on their inner sides.

2. In a banjo, a rim consisting of a series ot' metallic tubes held in position by bands passed through openings in the tubes, said tubes being closed at their lower ends and provided with sound openings on their inner sides.

3. In a banjo, a rim consisting ot' a series of metallic tubes, bands threaded at their ends by which said tubes are held in position, a head-block having longitudinal openings to receive the ends of the bands and transverse openings to receive nuts whichl engage the threaded ends of the bands, substantially'as described.

4. In a banjo, a series ot' metallic tubes, bands by which they are held together and which are threaded at their ends, in combination with a staff and a headblock having an opening to receive the staff, openings to receive the ends of the bands, and other openings to receive nuts which engage the ends of the bands, substantially as described.

5.' In a banjo, a rim consisting of a series of metallic tubes, a portion of which are provided with lugs S, in combination with a head, a tightening ring by which the head is stretched, and hooked bolts which engage the tightening-ring and the threaded lower ends of which engage the lugs, substantially as described.

6. rIlhecombinat-ion,with the tubes, the hold ing-ring having a flange resting within the tubes, and bands by which the tubes are held together, of a head-block having openings to receive the ends ot' the bands, and nuts engaging the ends of the bands and acting to draw the tubes together and against the flange.

7. The combination, with the tubes, some of which are provided with lugs, the holding-ring resting within the tubes and having sound-openings registering with the tubes, and means, substantially las described and shown, for holding the tubes together, of va head, av tightening-ring, hooked bolts engaging the tightening-ring and passing through the lugs, and nuts upon said bolts, whereby the head is tightened.

8. In a banjo, a holding-ring for the head, having a rounded bearing-surface at. its outer edge and sound-openings through it, the top of the ring inclining downward and inward from the bearing-surface, so asy to leave a space between the ring and head, substantially as described.

9. In a banjo, the combination, with the head and tightening-ring, of a rim'consisting of metallic tubes, some ot which are provided with lugs 8, and hooked bolts engaging the tightening-ring and the lugs.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BYRON E. BOYDEN.

lVitnesses:

A. M. WoosTER, ARLEY I. MUNsoN. 

